JOHN and CARYLL EGERER MOORE, FUHS '57

John and Caryll Moore

picture by Mark Martinez, The Orange County Register

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Pow Wow pair relive old times
Caryll and 'Butch' Moore find there's life beyond popularity contests as they reunite with the Class of '57.
By BARBARA GIASONE
The Orange County Register

FULLERTON — The year: 1957. The national events: Dodger Jackie Robinson retires; Elvis makes his final appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"; and "American Bandstand" starts airing on ABC-TV.

Back in Fullerton, Caryll Egerer and John "Butch" Moore – the perky songleader and the football star – are crowned Pow Wow king and queen to the cheers of hundreds of Fullerton Union High School "Indians." "It was a popularity contest where everyone in school voted," said Caryll, who married Butch in 1962. "Les Brown & The Band of Renown entertained at the Pow Wow Dance."

Memories of the event were resurrected last Friday when the FUHS Class of '57 gathered at Hillcrest Park Terrace for a barbecue, followed by a pre-game celebration in the stadium. Classic car owner Bill Sawyer loaned his '57 Ford Skylark convertible, with a retractable top, for the Moores to ride around the stadium field.

"We were in a strange time in '57," John interjected. "Students in our class didn't seem particularly political or interested in world affairs. There were more kids preparing for college, not carrying signs or banners. And drinking was only whispered about.

"Popular destinations were the Hillside Drive-In across from Lions Field, the Fox Fullerton and Wilshire theaters, the Hollywood Palladium, and pricey dinners at Lawry's in Los Angeles.

There are still fond memories of Mr. Redfearn, the calculus teacher, and Gertrude Amling, the tennis coach. "She turned me on to tennis, and years later we played on the same team," said Caryll, the mother of four and grandmother of nine.

John remembered it was a very structured closed campus where students were confined from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. He went on to UC Berkeley where he earned an engineering degree and to USC for a master's in finance. Caryll received a teaching credential from Cal State Fullerton and taught for two years in Brea before starting their family.

"We met the first day of our seventh-grade year at Wilshire Junior High," Caryll said. "We have a lot of memories in this town."